


Requiem for the King

by Vanitas_Repliku_26



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Basically, F/M, M/M, reversed history au, this is gonna suck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:26:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28273824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vanitas_Repliku_26/pseuds/Vanitas_Repliku_26
Summary: Chased out of Insomnia, Ardyn begins to travel with his advisor and shield as Daemon hunters. Along the way, the three come across Oracle-Mage Aera Mils Fleuret, who is on a quest to cure the Starscourge. Together, they find out the truth behind Lucis' history and Ifrit's ailment. An alternate Lucis history. Aerdyn, Gladnis.
Relationships: Aera Mirus Fleuret/Ardyn Izunia, Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	Requiem for the King

_“Now, where could my little morsels have gone?”_

_Ardyn peeked around the edge of the potted plant where he had hidden, giggling quietly as he watched his mother stalk past._

_She was playing the part of a marilith, a mighty daemon that was half-snake and half-woman with four arms. Legend had it the marilith was the offspring of a god and a human._

_Lucia was doing a fabulous acting job as the marilith, head turning side to side as she searched for her sons, hands up with fingers spread like claws. She even flicked out her tongue as if tasting the air._

_Ardyn quickly ducked behind his hiding spot when Lucia suddenly looked in his direction._

_“Oh, are you hiding over there?”_

_Ardyn covered his mouth to stifle his giggles._

_“Aha!” Lucia’s head popped around the side of the vase and Ardyn squealed. “Gotcha, little snack!”_

_Ardyn wriggled as Lucia grabbed him around the waist, holding him tight. “Agh, no!”  
_

_"Now to gobble you up!” Lucia kissed Ardyn’s neck, blowing raspberries with each one._

_“Ew, gross, mom!” Ardyn tried to push his mother’s face away, eliciting a laugh from Lucia._

_“Put him down, you fiend!”_

_Lucia and Ardyn both looked to see Somnus standing several feet away, wielding a broom._

_Despite his pudgy six-year-old face, Somnus looked fierce as he brandished the broom like a sword._

_Lucia gave a laugh, shifting Ardyn under one arm. “Look at this! What are you supposed to be, hm?”_

_“I’m the slayer of monsters!” Somnus declared, jabbing the broom at Lucia. “Now put him down!”_

_Lucia glanced at Ardyn then set him down._

_Ardyn ran off to hide behind Somnus. “Get it, Sommy!”_

_“Prepare to meet your end, monster!”_

_“Aggh!” Someone picked up Somnus and Ardyn from behind. “Not so fast, little ones!”_

_“Agh, dad!” Somnus protested as Mors’ scratchy beard rubbed against his cheek. “You’re ruining it!”  
_

_Oh?” Mors looked up at Lucia who was giggling softly. “Am I interrupting your fun?”_

_“You’re fine, dear,” Lucia murmured. “I think it’s about time we took a break.”_

_Somnus pouted, dropping the broom to cross his arms._

_“It’s lunch time,” Mors said._

_Ardyn gasped, wiggling in Mors’ grasp. “Lunch! What are we having, dad?”_

_“Egg-fried crustacean.”_

_“Yay!”_

_Mors laughed, rubbing his beard against Ardyn’s face._

_“Dad, stop! It tickles!”_

_“If you thought the fierce marilith was a fierce monster then you have not faced the Beard Scratcher!” Mors brushed his face against Ardyn and Somnus’ cheeks._

_Ardyn giggled and wiggled in an attempt to escape while Somnus complained loudly about the itchy beard._

_“All right, all right, enough chocobo play,” Lucia said, clapping her hands. “Let’s go before the food gets cold.”_

_Mors set his sons down, but kept ahold of their hands. “All right. Come on, you mighty hunters.”_

_Ardyn grinned as they al made their way towards the kitchen, Mors occasionally lifting him and Somnus off the ground to swing them._

* * *

Ardyn woke up to the sound of knocking at his door. He grimaced, rubbing his eyes before stretching.

“Prince Ardyn,” Ignis’s voice came from the other side of the door. “You need to wake up so you can get ready for the coronation today.”

 _Coronation?_ Ardyn thought, squinting at the door sleepily. _What…?_

Oh, it was his coronation today, wasn’t it?

Mors had recently died due to illness and Lucia had passed when Ardyn had turned thirteen. With both parents dead, it was Ardyn’s turn to ascend the throne as the eldest Lucis Caelum. Even though he had known this was his duty from the beginning—ascend the throne if both parents passed or relinquished the throne—Ardyn felt like he was too young to be king at twenty.

Ardyn sighed as he sat up, rubbing his face. “All right, all right. I’m up, Ignis.”

Ignis was Ardyn’s advisor. The Scientia had always been the advisors to the Lucis Caelum.

Somnus had his own advisor, Cairn, who was five years older than Ardyn and not a Scientia. Cairn was the first advisor outside the Scientia family.

Ardyn hadn’t been surprised when Somnus had announced Cairn as his advisor. Ever since he had turned fourteen, Somnus seemed intent on being the complete opposite of Ardyn. He was more brooding and sterner than Ardyn. He had been jealous when Ardyn had been named the next king of Lucis.

Ardyn hadn’t understood why. They had both known for the longest time that as eldest brother, Ardyn would be the next in line for the throne.

With a sigh, Ardyn got out of bed and went to his armoire to look through his clothes. He picked out a pair of dark blue slacks and a crisp white shirt. It was a typical clothing selection for him since there wasn’t any need to dress fancy unless he had meetings planned. After pulling on a dark jacket, Ardyn opened the door to his room to see Ignis standing at the threshold, appearing less than pleased at waiting for so long.

Ignis’ sandy blond hair was swept up into an immaculate comb and Ignis himself was an immaculate person in everything he did, even when he was cooking. He kept himself clean and presentable as one would expect of the advisor to the king.

“Breakfast is ready,” Ignis said, looking only mildly annoyed at Ardyn’s choice in clothes. “During breakfast we’ll go over the itinerary for the day.”

Ardyn huffed a laugh as he headed towards the kitchen, Ignis following behind him. “All that’s for today is the coronation, Igs.”

“It has to be correct though. We can’t have any halts or messes. Do you want your coronation to be laughed upon for future generations?”

“Oh, come on. How bad can it be?”

“I don’t think you want me to answer that.”

“Okay, okay.” Ardyn sighed. “We’ll do your little itinerary.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Just don’t make it too boring.”

Ignis gave a slight smirk, amused at the statement. “Coronations are anything but boring.”

That depended on who you asked, Ardyn thought to himself but decided it was best to drop the subject before he riled Ignis up.

* * *

After he had eaten breakfast, the day was filled up with picking out the right clothes for Ardyn’s coronation and exactly what he had to say before and after accepting the crown from the priest.

While he practiced, the castle was a flurry of activity as servants prepared seating and decorations before the city arrived to witness their king’s accession to the throne.

After what felt like ages, it was time for the actual coronation proceedings. The entire city was packed into the castle’s throne room, voices bouncing off the cathedral ceilings. Beside the throne stood the priest who held a book containing the Scriptures of Bahamut. Somnus stood on the other side of the throne, wearing his best black clothes, hands behind his back.

Ardyn had been forced into his father’s coronation clothes which were a bit more old-fashioned than Ardyn liked. He decided to bear it just for the proceedings and to honor his father’s memory.

Everyone stood from their seats as Ardyn entered the room and he tried not to become embarrassed when all eyes turned on him. He kept his gaze forward as he walked towards the throne.

The priest cleared his throat once Ardyn stopped in front of him, opening the book. “We are gathered here today to witness the Ascension of Ardyn Lucis Caelum CXIV. With Bahamut as witness, we will begin the Oath of the King. Ardyn Lucis Caelum, will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the peoples of Lucis and all other territories belonging or pertaining to Lucis, according to their respective laws and customs?”

“I promise to do so,” Ardyn murmured with an incline of his head.

“Will you in all your power and ability cause law and justice to be executed in all of your judgments?”

“I do.”

“Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the laws of Bahamut and the Scriptures? Will you maintain the Bright One Religion as established by law; uphold the scriptures, worship, and government as established by Lucian law?”

“All this I promise to do. All things I have promised here today I will keep and perform.”

The priest gave a nod, closing the book he held and picking up a small bowl of holy water. He dipped his fingers in the water then drew a sword on the back of each of Ardyn’s hands. “Bahamut’s blades to deal righteous justice.” Dipping his fingers in the holy water a second time, the priest drew an eye on Ardyn’s forehead. “The sight of Bahamut, to see through deception.”

Ardyn closed his eyes as the priest finished and another clergy member brought over Mors’ crown.

The priest picked the crown up from the red velvet pillow it sat on and held it over his head so the citizens could see it. “Under the wise eyes of Bahamut, the Lucian people swear in their new monarch.”

Ardyn knelt to allow the priest to set the crown upon his head, standing when he heard the priest announce, “All hail King Ardyn.”

“All hail King Ardyn!”

* * *

Ardyn gave a loud sigh as he plopped down in a chair. The coronation had taken such a long time and after standing for so long, his feet were as exhausted as he was. He didn’t feel like mingling with everyone enjoying the afterparty quite yet; not until he was a bit more rested.

“I figured I’d find you over here.”

Ardyn opened his eyes to see Somnus standing nearby. He sighed, leaning his head back. “Don’t tell anyone.”

“Don’t want to spend time with your subjects?” Somnus asked, leaning against the wall beside Ardyn.

“Just need a few minutes off my feet to regain my energy. What about you? I thought you liked parties.”

“Yeah, well, Ignis is being a stick in the mud.”

Ardyn sighed, though he wasn’t that surprised. “What’s he doing now?”

“Guarding the drink table and scaring off anyone daring to get seconds.”

Ardyn looked towards the table where the drinks were and that Ignis was indeed standing in front of it with a scowl, arms crossed over his chest. The partygoers gave him a wide berth though several were giving him dirty looks.

“I see,” Ardyn murmured, stretching his arms above his head as he sat up. “I think I can remedy that.”

Somnus raised an eyebrow as Ardyn stood up and headed over to the Kingsglaive standing near a pillar. He recognized the man was Ardyn’s Shield, Gladiolus. Gladiolus was an intimidating man even when he didn’t mean to be. He was taller than Ardyn by several inches with muscled arms and brown hair. A vertical scar ran down his left eye, something he had gotten as a teenager while protecting Ardyn from a would-be assassin. Despite his looks though Gladiolus was a gentle giant, especially towards his younger sister Iris.

Ardyn whispered something into Gladiolus, gesturing towards where Ignis was.

Gladiolus grinned and gave a thumbs up before he made his way over to the table and Ignis. He and Ignis talked for a bit before Gladiolus grabbed Ignis by the hand and led him off, away from the table. Almost immediately, the table was swarmed by partygoers eager for a second drink.

Ardyn grinned as he returned to Somnus. “See? Easy.”

“I never should have doubted you,” Somnus replied with a roll of his eyes. “I should have figured you would take advantage of their mutual crushing on each other.”

“If I need Ignis to do something he doesn’t want to do, Gladiolus will help me do it.”

“They’ll eventually realize you’re taking advantage of them.”

Ardyn gave a shrug as he sat back in the chair. “So, what’s up? Why come see me instead of going to party with everyone else?”

“Just wanted to talk to you.”

“About?”

“Well, you’re king now. Feel any different?”

“Should I?” Ardyn laughed. “I still feel like me, just with a different title. I guess it will take time getting used to being called king rather than prince.”

“Don’t let the power go to your head.”

“Ha, ha. I won’t. I’m going to rule exactly as dad did. I don’t want to disappoint anyone.”

Somnus gave a hum. “You’ll let me in on your decisions before you make them, won’t you? I am your brother, after all.”

Ardyn grinned at Somnus. “I won’t keep you in the dark, Somnus. I’d enjoy having your input on my decisions, to help make sure they’re the right ones.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

* * *

A crystal was hovering in front of him, just a few feet away. A large cut was carved into it, revealing sharp crystal dyed a bright red. Ardyn felt like he should have recognized the crystal, somewhere in the recesses of his mind, but came up blank. Something told him to touch it while another part told him to stay away from it. Something about the crystal wasn’t right.

As Ardyn took a step away from the crystal, it vanished and in its place stood Ifrit.

Black ichor coated the god’s entire left arm and the side of his chest. Ardyn recognized it as the Starscourge, a disease that turned people into monsters if they were exposed to it. A long time ago, the Scourge had attached itself to Ifrit and the god had sent down a meteor in his rage. Titan had done his best to lessen the damage to Lucis, but it still hadn’t been enough; lots of lives had been lost and as a result, people turned to Bahamut as their one true god, the one who would kill Ifrit and cure the land of Starscourge. Even growing up with that, Ardyn wasn’t sure how much faith he would put into a god who wasn’t active in their people’s lives.

Ifrit stared down at Ardyn then screeched at him, flames erupting around his feet. Before he could even attack, an enormous sword was hurled down, piercing the god through the chest.

Bahamut appeared in front of the incapacitated Ifrit, yanking the sword from the god’s chest before pinning Ardyn with a glare. Within his eye, a black worm-like shape flickered in a circle before vanishing.

What was that? Had that been his imagination?

Silently, Bahamut raised his sword above his head, staring at Ardyn steadily.

With no weapon to defend himself, Ardyn threw up his arms to defend himself from the incoming attack.

Why was Bahamut attacking _him_?

Metal clanged against metal and Ardyn opened an eye.

Standing in front of him was a male slightly older than him, wielding a sword which blocked Bahamut’s attack. From the back the male didn’t look familiar, but he turned his head to look at Ardyn and Ardyn was stunned.

What was the Founder King of Lucis doing there? Noctis had died eons ago in his late eighties, not his thirties. A mark was on his cheek that Ardyn didn’t recognize. It looked similar to Ifrit’s horns, but Ardyn couldn’t remember any coat of arms or sigil that looked like that.

“You need to wake up, Ardyn,” Noctis said as he continued to push against Bahamut’s blade.

Ardyn blinked. Noctis’s voice sounded a lot like Ignis.

The sound of loud knocking invaded the dream and Ardyn startled awake, heart racing.

“It’s time to get up, King Ardyn!” Ifrit repeated.

Ardyn sat up, running a hand through his hair.

What had that entire dream been about?


End file.
